Hakuryuu's First Christmas
by SheepiChan
Summary: [STILL incomplete] It's the first Christmas Eve that everyone spends together. However, something, or someone, is missing! Will Hakuryuu discover the true meaning of Christmas?
1. Twas the Night Before Christmas

A/N: Hiyo everyone! Tis SheepiChan, _finally _writing a Saiyuki fic! This is just a little side fic for me to work on while I'm doing my BIG fic project. (Kwaah… it's taking a lot out of me…)

Anyhoos, just as the title says, it's the first Christmas with everyone together… and it just wouldn't be the same without Hakuryuu around! Just a mini fic (no more than three chapters) for the holidays!

Please, don't take this fic TOO seriously; it's just meant to bring a smile to your faces!

And no… this has nothing to do with the Jiipu/Hakuryuu side story featured in Zero Sum Saiyuki… I came up with the idea BEFORE reading that…

Rating: PG (for some swearing; and little hints of shounen-ai; if requested, I'll heighten the rating)

Setting: Pre-Gensoumaden Saiyuki (approximately a few months)

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to Saiyuki whatsoever. Those belong to Ms. Kazuya Minekura… unless she allows me to borrow them… Pwease? …Pretty pwease? …Oh…Fine…

* * *

Hakuryuu's First Christmas

The ground outside was covered in white powder, which was slowly getting deeper. The air was freezing, and the wind howled mercilessly. Most individuals, demonic or otherwise, were inside of their homes, snug in their warm, squishy beds, awaiting the arrival of a big fat man in a red, fuzzy suit. Everyone was smiling, laughing, eating and just having a grand old time.For it was Christmas eve, and everyone was feeling the joyful spirit.

…Well… almost everyone.

"BAKAZARU! This is all YOUR fault!" Gojyo roared, the red-headed half demon's face was inches away from Goku's, his scarlet eyes flashing.

"No it isn't, YOU ERO KAPPA!" Goku defended himself, his golden eyes flashed as well, blinding a sparrow that had been trying to sleep, but couldn't due to the ruckus that the small group had been making. The bird had gotten out of his tree, to politely tell the group to just shut the hell up, when Goku's eyes flashed, and… well… you can read, so you know very well what happened.

"Both of you… just SHUT THE HELL UP!" Ah! It would seem that Sanzo had done the bird's job for him! It's so nice to see cooperation between two of the same species. Even though it was only in his _past _life that Sanzo was a bird. That _was _him…right…?

"Maa maa minna… we'll find him soon… I hope." Hakkai, playing the consoler, tried to calm the group down. Although, he himself was very worried. After all, it _is_ his pet dragon that's missing. During this harsh winter night, Hakuryuu had suddenly disappeared, and now the group of four (more or less) men was outside searching.

Why is Hakuryuu gone? Well, that is what I'm here to tell you.

* * *

At first, the night was supposed to be spent separate from each other. Gojyo and Hakkai were to spend the holiday inside of their home, along with Hakuryuu, while Sanzo and Goku "celebrated" at the Chang'an temple. Why is celebrated in quotations you ask? Well, this "celebration" usually consisted of Goku eating just about everything in sight, as only Goku could, while Sanzo threatened to kill him, as only Sanzo could. Oh! There was a tree too! Just not a very big one… that also happened to be in the corner… wilting away… with very little decorations, save for a little angel that Goku lovingly drew on the back of Sanzo's paperwork, using his feet of course. After all, if you have a talent, might as well use it! Although, Sanzo didn't find this talent very appealing, as that was _very_ important paperwork that Goku had drawn on, and used the rest of the paper that Goku was planning on using to construct more paper angels (with his feet) to create an even _bigger_ paper fan. Yes! This was the birth of the upgrade to Sanzo's "Giant Fan" to Sanzo's "Uber I'm-Going-to-Kick-Your-Ass-Till-Kingdom-Come-Fan". Sadly, this fan had a very short lifespan of fifteen minutes, as Sanzo proceeded to beat the living crap out of Goku for drawing (with his feet) on his _very_ important paperwork. 

But I digress.

The reason why everyone was together for this occasion was due to a very conveniently timed assignment, combined with a very conveniently timed blizzard, at a very convenient location. (This narration seems to have a rather large amount of "verys" doesn't it?) Sanzo and Goku were assigned what was supposed to be a short mission. In fact, this very assignment was …_assigned_… a few moments after Sanzo had proceeded to beat the living crap out of Goku for a full fifteen minutes. Goku, being the rechargeable monkey that he is, was able to regain consciousness, recover from multiple concussions, a broken leg, arm, foot and nose, a ruptured lung, internal bleeding and still have time to make himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It was just when Goku had finished said sandwich that Sanzo received the new mission.

At the time, there were reports of a strange man in the forest located pretty close to Gojyo's and Hakkai's humble abode. This man seemed to be affiliated with a horde of 9 demons, one of which had a hideous power. This power included the glowing of a large red orb, which would create a large red beacon of potentially hazardous energy. It would be Sanzo's job, along with Goku, to bring this man and his demonic gang to trial for a heinous crime- sneaking into houses on Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve! Of all nights to do something so horrible!

Their first stop was the small cottage in the woods. In order to subdue this criminal, they will need all the help they can get, and since Goku had blackmail pictures from the last mission, which just happened to involve a bath house, both Gojyo and Hakkai were pretty much bound to help. Or face the consequence that is known as the fan-girl. You may shudder at the thought. Alright, now pull yourself together! C'mon, you can do it! Good!

The woods were dark and deep, however the home that belonged to Gojyo and Hakkai was indeed extremely easy to find. It may have to do with the fact that Hakkai had decorated the bite sized house to no end. Cheery little icicle lights blinked from the roof, and were laced around the windows. Animatronic reindeer bobbed their heads and twinkled. Giant spotlights shone from the backyard and into the night sky, practically screaming "COME HERE!".

"Woooah! Sanzo! Look at the lights! They're so pretty!" Goku's eyes shone as he bounced up and down like a hyper schoolgirl. Goku was chock full of the holiday spirit.

Sanzo on the other hand felt so sick to his stomach, that he couldn't muster up a reply.

The scene that awaited him and his charge as they opened the door to the home would only prove to make his holiday-cuteness-induced nausea worse.

"Oh God… please… help me!" Gojyo was shrieking throughout the household, and with good reason. Hakkai seemed to think it would be cute to have Gojyo dress up as a reindeer. Ribbons, bells and all. Gojyo resisted of course, and was running around trying to avoid his holiday brainwashed comrade.

"Aww, Gojyo, I made it just for you," Hakkai ran after Gojyo, right on his little reindeer tail. This should be taken quite literally as they both crashed to the floor. Gojyo had twisted as he fell, and was flat on his back. Hakkai had thrown out his hands in front of him in order to break what would have been a nasty fall. These very hands wound up on either side of Gojyo's shoulders, Hakkai's body in a very precarious position. At least something like this would only stay in the house, where nobody could see them.

Yeah, like I would let something like _that_ happen with it going unnoticed.

"Hey Hakkai! Gojyo! Whatcha doin'?" a certain cheery five hundred and eighteen year old saru greeted as he threw open the door. His eyes resting on the… er… "questionable" scene in front of him.

"Hakuryuu! Quickly! Shield his eyes!" Hakkai yelled out to his faithful pet, still in his awkward stance over Gojyo.

"Kyuu!" Hakuryuu complied, and zoomed straight to Goku, using his wings to cover up the monkey's face. At this time, Gojyo tried to roll away from underneath Hakkai. However, rolling away only proved to make things worse, as this caused Hakkai to lose his balance and fall. This time on top of Gojyo's back.

"ACK! Hakuryuu! GET OFF!" Goku started to flail his arms madly. One of his hands hit Hakuryuu, who was sent flying off to some room, while the other hand went straight for Sanzo, who had been standing at the doorway through this whole incident. Seeing the monkey's fist heading straight to his face, Sanzo fluidly stepped aside. The momentum that Goku's swing had gathered carried the poor monkey right out the door and face first into the snow.

Sanzo took the opportunity to step inside, and lock the door behind him, leaving Goku outside in the snow.

Goku jumped up and started to pound the door, "SANZO!" he shrieked, "SAAANZO! LET ME IN! IT'S COLD OUT HERE! SAANZO!"

Sanzo calmly removed his sandals, and walked over to Hakkai and Gojyo. "Get up within the next three seconds or I'll kill you." Classic line. Oh joy.

They were up in one.

* * *

A sweet aroma permeated from the kitchen to the other rooms of the house. Sanzo, Gojyo and Hakkai were sitting around the tiny table, each with a mug full of hot chocolate, or coffee in Sanzo's case, in front of them. Hakuryuu, having recovered from his close encounter of the Goku Kind, was curled up on Hakkai's lap, purring softly. You almost couldn't hear the muffled cries from outside. 

"SAAANZO! The snow's up to my waist! SANZO! HEY! DON'T CLOSE THAT CURTAIN! SANZO!"

I said almost.

Yes, they were supposed to be out on a mission, but the snowing outside had increased not only in quantity, but in quality. The winds had picked up speed, and the snow was quickly getting deeper. The visibility was near zero, making it nearly impossible to find the path back to the temple, let alone find the demon group lurking in the woods. Sanzo rationalized that there was no way in hell he and Goku were going to leave the immediate area, and accepted Hakkai's hospitality.

"SANZO! I SMELL HOT CHOCOLATE!" Goku pounded a fist against the window that peered into the kitchen. A sound that Sanzo briefly acknowledged with a sharp glare, before turning back to the conversation at hand.

After a few minutes of shouting at the back of his keeper's head, Goku gave up and waddled through the snow to the other side of the house. Looking around, he saw the window that led to one of the bedrooms. Gazing inside and noting the impeccable neatness, his little monkey eyes worked together with his little monkey brain and told him that this room belonged to Hakkai. _Hakkai won't mind if I damage his window just a bit…_ something in the back of his mind told him that this little thought couldn't be more wrong, but there was hot chocolate in there, dammit! Goku put that little voice aside, and proceeded in punching out the window, a huge CRASH radiating through the air.

At the same time of the crash, there was a particularly large gust of wind. The loud moan drowned out the shattering window, making what would have been something obvious into something… not… so… obvious. Yes, I'm at a loss of vocabulary. Wanna make something of it?

Goku scrambled through the window and landed onto Hakkai's soft bed. Bouncing lightly off, he looked over, his nose smelling food from a wayward bag of groceries at the far end of the room. Once again pushing away the little voice that told him that groceries in a bedroom was just a little bit odd, he scampered through the door and into the kitchen.

"Hey everyone!" the cheerful saru grinned madly from the doorway to the kitchen.

"How the hell did you get in here?" Sanzo and Gojyo chorused together. They then gave each other an almost identical look of disgust at realizing they just shared the same thought pattern.

"Ahehe… don't sweat the small details," Goku's face flushed a bit, "all that matters is that we're all together, right?"

"No. All that matters is that you tell me how the hell you got in here." Sanzo's droopy, amethyst eyes glared into Goku's.

"Well…uh…er…"

"Now, now… Goku's right," Hakkai intervened, sensing an uncomfortable aura around the monkey, "Come sit down, and I'll make you a cup of hot chocolate." He motioned a spare seat to Goku, who took the seat graciously.

Hakkai got up and went over to pour a mug of the sweet drink, "Oh! It looks like we're out of marshmallows," smiling that trademark Hakkai smile, he looked to Hakuryuu, who had perched on his shoulder when he got up, "Hakuryuu, would you mind going to my room and getting a bag from the groceries in there?"

"Kyuu!" Hakuryuu rose from Hakkai's shoulder and floated over to the room. Finding the bag, he gently tugged at the marshmallows. They didn't budge. Getting a determined look in his beady red eyes, Hakuryuu tugged harder, falling back as the marshmallow bag came tumbling out. Thankful that there was a breeze to help him up into the air, Hakuryuu prepared to carry the heavy bag.

Wait… a breeze? Hakkai's window wasn't open before…

Hakuryuu realized the smashed open window too late, as another, more powerful breeze slammed the door shut. The resulting click told Hakuryuu that he was locked in. _Oh no!_ the little dragon thought to himself as he fought a losing battle with the door handle. _Maybe I can go around from outside. They should let me in!_ Hakuryuu glided through the window. Flapping his wings hard against the merciless wind, he finally reached the same window Goku had pounded on only moments ago. He rapped gently with his snout, hoping that his master would hear him.

But Hakkai would not hear the little dragon's gentle, yet still distressed tapping. He was too busy trying to calm the group down. Goku was too busy sobbing as Sanzo beat him with his giant fan, and Gojyo was too busy laughing at the sight, before being hit himself. They were all too busy to notice the tiny dragon, desperately fighting against the wind, trying to get inside. They were too busy for Hakuryuu in general. Maybe, they'd be better off without him.

These were Hakuryuu's thoughts exactly as he flew off into the woods, warm tears brimming his eyes.

* * *

A/N: And that's it for now! (2000 words?! Mini-fic my arse!) 

Oh! I was wondering something about Sanzo's name, is it "Genjyo" or "Genjo(u)"? (xx; The translations I find keep on switching back and forth between the two!)

I'll try to make the rest of the fic's chapters shorter!

Critique is most welcome! (And if I made any mistakes whatsoever, don't hesitate to tell me so I can fix them!)

SheepiChan


	2. Search!

A/N: I hope there are those that enjoyed the first chapter! This chapter may be just a bit less humorous then the first, but there'll also be a lot of sweet fluffy moments! (Aww!) ; Anyhoos, next chapter will be the last! Hey! I said it was a _mini_-fic!

EDIT: GYAAH! There were so many mistakes every time I tried to upload this! ...I've gotta get used to this new way of uploading... I'm still stuck back in the old days... Anyhoos... please enjoy the new EDITED version of this chapter.... So sorry before hand!

Alrighty, now for the official stuff:

Chapter Rating: PG-13 (some swearing, many more hints of shounen-ai, and violence)

Setting: Pre-Gensoumaden Saiyuki

Disclaimer: I don't own Saiyuki in any shape or form.

…Nor do I own Q-Tips… although I do buy them… by the box… squeaky clean ears… yes…

* * *

Hakuryuu's First Christmas

It took a while before Hakkai could get the group to calm down. They had been making so much of a racket, that he couldn't even hear the wind howling outside. He could've sworn he heard a faint _tap_, and turned to look out the window, just in time to catch the tiniest glimpse of silvery-white.

_Is something out there?_ Hakkai made a move to check out the window for any signs of animals, just when Goku's head was slammed into the table.

"WAH! ERO KAPPA!" the saru clutched at his head, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!"

"Other than your existence?" Gojyo glared at Goku, an unseen, but definitely not unfelt, challenge emanated from him.

"…URUSAI!" Sanzo's arm whipped around in a single graceful motion. His infamous paper fan extended as he flogged both monkey and water sprite's heads. The two fell onto the table, knocking the hot chocolate and coffee all over the floor.

"NOOOO!" Goku screeched as he watched the liquids pool on the floor, "LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID!"

"WHAT _I _DID?!" Gojyo looked ready to pounce onto Goku's throat, "YOU'RE THE ONE THAT-" he was cut off as the fan connected with his head again.

Hakkai took the opportunity to retreat out of his kitchen… excuse me… what was _left _of his kitchen to go look for Hakuryuu. The little dragon hadn't been gone for that long of a while, but it had been some time since he had been sent on his mini errand, and Hakkai couldn't help but feel a pang of worry. That very pang increased as he came up to his locked door. Tentatively, he opened it, calling softly inside.

"Hakuryuu?"

There was no answer. No chirp. No loving "Kyuu, Kyuu!" from his faithful companion.

There was only the breeze.

Wait, a breeze? Hakkai's window wasn't open before! How could there be a breeze?

_Ah! The window's just broken, that's all._ Smiling, Hakkai turned to leave the room to continue searching for his pet.

Two seconds later, a heartfelt "GOOOOKUUUU!" reverberated through the household.

* * *

All around the universe, planets stopped moving. Windows shattered, skies turned dark, and time stood still. In short, reality itself was warped. 

Hakkai was angry.

Now, when I say angry, I don't mean, "Bad monkey! Bad!" I mean, "**_BAD MONKEY! BAD!_**" while beating the crap out of you with naught but a Q-Tip and enough chi energy to level half a continent. This would be very fun to do, however Hakkai had much more self control than that. Plus the Q-Tips were in the bathroom, and he was not about to go out of his way to go all the way to the bathroom and back just to reprimand the monkey.

He stormed into the his kitchen, his angry aura alone slamming the door open. Fortunately for the rest of the crew, after hearing Hakkai yell for the first time in…_ever_, they cleaned up a bit (Well, Gojyo and Goku had cleaned… Sanzo "supervised") out of fear that Hakkai could come in and bite their heads off. The man-turned-youkai plastered his worst false smile to date as his left eyebrow twitched in such a way that would have made Sanzo very proud.

"…Goku… how exactly _did_ you get inside?" Hakkai's body began to quiver as well.

"Well… uh… you see…" Goku stammered. That twitching was getting really scary.

"It wouldn't happen to involve a_- _no - _my_ window… would it?" Hakkai's teeth gritted against each other.

Did I mention Hakkai was angry?

"Well, now that you bring it up… Ahehe…" the golden-eyed boy scratched the back of his head, a sheepish grin, followed by a slight blush, formed on his face.

Before anyone knew it, they were all out in the snow, shouting Hakuryuu's name.

* * *

So there you have it. Hakuryuu ran away, Goku is in trouble, Hakkai _was_ angry (he calmed down a bit). Sanzo was afraid of Hakkai, and Gojyo? Gojyo… well… let's just say he's going to be _very_ lonely for a few nights… 

Things just couldn't get any worse. Right?

Hah! I laugh at you fools who actually believed that things couldn't get worse.

After all, you haven't seen what happened next.

* * *

Hakuryuu beat his wings futilely against the powerful gusts of wind and snow. Sheets of ice blinded him, but he didn't care. All he wanted to do was run… no fly… no run… _get away… _from his current pursuers, who just happened not to be the friendly types. 

"You little bastard! Get back here!" a gravelly voice called after him. See what I mean? These guys just weren't very nice.

It wasn't like Hakuryuu had done anything _bad_. It was cold outside, and all Hakuryuu wanted was a little bit of warmth so he wouldn't become a mini dragon icicle. By luck, he had found a camp in the woods with a blazing fire in the center. He flew up to the fire, enjoying the heat given off by the dancing flames, when there was a stir from behind him. After all, if there's a camp, more likely than not there are going to be inhabitants. These inhabitants just happened to be a group of thieves; human and demons alike.

At first, Hakuryuu didn't know about the background of the residents, and just chirped a friendly, "Kyuu!" Even though he had just been hurt by the people he trusted for so long, he couldn't keep his friendly demeanor tucked away.

"Hey, Ito. Lookit this!" one of the human men, his hair dark and his eyes a slate gray, called to another figure.

"What is it, Kyo?" the one called 'Ito' walked over. His hair shimmered in a light blonde shade, while his eyes shone in red. His pointed ears cast a shadow that looked terribly frightening, causing Hakuryuu to hunch back a bit, ready to defend himself if necessary.

"Look at this thing here. Seems like some kinda rare animal or somethin." the man known as 'Kyo' pointed in the dragon's direction.

"This little rat?" he arched an eyebrow at Hakuryuu, clearly not impressed.

"Kyuu!" Hakuryuu screeched as he leapt up and bit Ito's nose. He didn't take being called a rat very well. After all, Hakuryuu couldn't be a rat. Rats are mammals. Dragons are reptiles. There's a huge difference, and therefore it was biologically impossible for Hakuryuu to be a rat. Had Ito called Hakuryuu a snake or a lizard, it would have been a different story as snakes and lizards are indeed part of the reptile family. There was also the matter of calling him 'little'. As expected, Hakuryuu felt just a bit sensitive about his size. He can't help being tiny!

"You little bastard!" Ito swung at Hakuryuu. Rather, where Hakuryuu had once been. As soon as he finished performing his little stunt, Hakuryuu hauled dragon ass out of there. Ito and Kyo followed, knives shining as they drew them out. In short, Hakuryuu was in deep. Really deep.

Which brought him to this predicament.

As Hakuryuu flew for his life, he felt his thoughts travel to his master. _Hakkai…_ he felt tears well up in his eyes again. How he wished Hakkai were here right now… the man always knew what to say. Always knew what to do. _I miss Hakkai…_

The petite pyro banked a hard right into the woods, hoping that the flying snow would cover up his maneuver. Gliding to a fallen log, he burrowed under it, hoping to lose both the man and the demon. Breathing a sigh of relief, he sniffled back tears and huddled to keep himself warm. He closed his eyes, ready to doze off to sleep, when there was a light crunch. His eyes snapped open as he prepared to leap into flight and fight for the third time in the last twenty minutes.

"Ho, ho… now what do we have here?" a warm, hearty voice bellowed. Two leather gloves reached down from behind Hakuryuu, gripped him underneath his belly and then brought him against a red fur coat. He squirmed a bit, but after sensing no hostility, he slowed to a halt, welcoming the warmth. "A little guy like you shouldn't be out on a night like tonight."

Hakuryuu responded with an indignant, "Kyuu!" Defiantly, he looked up into the man's twinkling eyes. Although, they were pretty hard to spot underneath all that white hair. The white fur brimmed cap didn't help much either.

The man laughed at the dragon's reaction, and scratched gently behind his ears and under his throat, chuckling slightly as the animal purred at the touch, "Now come on. I'm sure there's somebody worried about you."

Images of Hakkai's smiling face flashed through Hakuryuu's mind. _…I wonder… does he miss me…_?_ I know I miss him… I wonder how he's doin' without me around… I wonder how _all _of them are doing without me around…

* * *

_

"ACHOO!" Goku sneezed for the umpteenth time.

"Stupid monkey… shut up." Gojyo growled at Goku for the umpteenth time.

"_Both_ of you shut up!" Sanzo tried to yell at Gojyo and Goku for the umpteenth time.

"Yare yare…" Hakkai sighed for the umpteenth time.

Needless to say, the groups' actions were getting quite repetitive.

"Hey Sanzo… I think we may have passed this bush before…" Goku whispered. He was too cold to speak any louder than an undertone. To be honest, he was too cold to do much of anything right now, but instead of angering Sanzo more, he chose to stay quiet and move on.

"…This is getting us nowhere." Sanzo muttered, "We should split up and look for Hakuryuu." Slowly, so it wouldn't be noticed by the rest of the party, he brought his arms over his chest to warm himself up and slowly rubbed up and down, counting on the cloak that he was wearing (they all had identical over garments) to hide his movements. The last thing he wanted was to show weakness of any kind, especially for a matter as trivial as this. "I'll take Goku and go to the left, Hakkai, you take Gojyo and go to the right."

Hakkai murmured a "Yes sir." Goku and Gojyo simply nodded. They were too cold and tired to complain or say anything against Sanzo, and they were sure that he was too cold and tired to hear them complain.

Hakkai, spurred on by the extra burden of worry, immediately marched (or tried to) east, Gojyo right next to him. They disappeared into the woods, leaving Sanzo and Goku to go in their direction.

"Come Goku… we go… to the west." Sanzo began walking westward, Goku tagging along at his heels.

The wind howled and bit at their exposed faces, which showed their weariness. The cold was unforgiving and the snow was piling up higher. The trees were covered with ice and glittered in what little moonlight was available. It would've been quite beautiful- if Sanzo were inside. He quickly glanced over to Goku, wondering how the monkey was faring. Sanzo knew about his previous snow phobia, and was worried about him. Not that he'd ever admit it of course.

Goku trudged along behind his keeper. He had just recently gotten over his fear of the snow. Now he was forced to wade through the cold, white substance. He felt the iciness crawl through his clothing and shock the skin underneath. How could something so pretty be so… unforgiving? _At least… Sanzo… is here too…_ his thoughts became incoherent and his head swam. He shook his head and focused on the golden halo that was Sanzo before him. The cold was getting to him and he longed to just curl up and fall asleep. _But I can't… Sanzo needs… me…_ The monkey pushed on, not wanting to disappoint his sun. It was just when the wind began to pick up speed that Goku's vision blurred and his knees gave out.

There was a WUMPH behind him. Sanzo whipped around, at first fearing an attack from the youkai gang that he was originally hunting, his eyes widening when he saw Goku's limp body laying in the snow.

"Goku!" Sanzo's hoarse voice was barely higher than a speaking tone, "Get up you damn ape!" shuffling through the icy material to Goku's side, he prodded him gently with his foot.

"S-sorry… Sanzo…" Goku whimpered, "I'll… get up now…" he attempted to lift his frozen body out of the snow, only to fall back down. "…Dammit." _…I'm so weak._

"Goku…" Sanzo knelt beside him, "Stop trying to move, idiot." It was unsettling to see someone as young and vibrant as Goku whimpering and shivering in the snow. _…He's lost a lot of body heat…_

"S-Sanzo. So… cold…" the monkey's teeth chattered as he reached out a trembling hand. Weakly grasping the hem of the monk's robe, his golden eyes silently pleaded for help.

"Come here." Sanzo grabbed Goku from under the arms and pulled him against his body. Wrapping his arms around the boy, he willed some of the warmth from his body to pass on to the monkey. "…Nobody ever hears of this. Do you understand me?"

_…He's so warm… _Goku stirred a little in his doze, random thoughts blinking through._ Just like the sun._ He sighed and curled up tighter, his head against the corrupted monk's chest, listening to the slow, steady heartbeat. This heartbeat would be his lullaby as total sleep claimed him at last.

"…"

"Goku?" Sanzo glanced down, the concern written on his face dissipating as he heard light snores coming from the brunette. Goku had curled up in his lap and against his chest, falling asleep in his keeper's embrace. _Stupid chimp._ Sanzo ran his fingers through Goku's thick, yet soft hair. _It doesn't look like he's going to wake up anytime soon… and I can't stop looking for Hakuryuu. Damn it all. Guess I'll have to carry him._

Sanzo shifted a bit, getting ready to leave, when he felt the material of his robes tighten a bit. Looking down he saw Goku's fist grasping it, his grip instinctively tightening when he felt Sanzo move. _Stupid chimp._ Sanzo thought again, although he noticed that his mental tone was more out of endearment than before. _I'll kill him once this is all over, _Sanzo resolved as he put one arm underneath Goku's knees, the other one supporting his back. "C'mon," he huffed as he lifted Goku out of the snow, still holding him close to his body, "I swear, if anyone sees us like this, it's _your_ head."

* * *

To say that Hakkai was cold would be an understatement. The understatement of the year, although you probably wouldn't get an award of any kind. In other situations, maybe, but both demon and water sprite are a bit on the cranky side right now, so don't ask for one, unless of course you don't value your life. So, if you have a suicide wish, go ahead and ask right now. I won't stop you, I'm just telling the story here- 

"Will you just get on with it?!" Gojyo shouted at the narrator.

What the hell?! You just shut up and go on! I've got enough on my plate right now! I missed my deadline already!

"Well, you did a shit job of writing the story anyway!" Gojyo's crimson eyes narrowed as he yelled towards the sky.

"Gojyo, who are you talking to?" Hakkai looked over at his friend, thinking that he had gone crazy because of the cold. Which he probably has.

"Just the narrator," Gojyo then turned back to the sky, "AND I AM NOT CRAZY!"

Yes you are.

"NO I'M NOT!"

"Now, now you two…" Hakkai tried to play peace keeper again as the lovable narrator and the evil water sprite argued.

"LOVABLE MY ASS!" Gojyo, obviously jealous of the wonderful narrator- "SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Never!

"YOU'RE NOT EVEN USING PROPER GRAMMAR!" Gojyo, having paid attention in school (surprisingly) pointed out the narrator's flaw.

Yes I am.

"NO YOU'RE NOT! YOU'RE SPEAKING WITHOUT QUOTES!"

So?

"That's not proper grammar!"

Oooh! Look at me! I'm speaking without quotes! Bwahaha!

"Gojyo, just let it go…" all Hakkai wanted was to find Hakuryuu.

"Che… Fine." Gojyo, being in love with Hakkai- "I AM _NOT_!"

Yes you are.

"NO I'M _NOT_!"

"What the hell's going on here?" Sanzo strutted in, Goku following behind him.

"Yeah," the monkey, seeming to be in perfect health (at the moment), agreed with the monk, "We're waitin' for our part of the story to continue already!"

"Well…" Hakkai said, being the voice of reason in this rather confusing part of the story (sorry folks), "It seems that Gojyo got into a fight with the narrator."

"She started it!" the kappa defended himself.

I did not!

"Yes you did!"

"URUSAI!" Sanzo whisked out his giant fan and proceeded to beat everyone, except for Hakkai and _including_ the narrator, "ALL OF YOU, SHUT UP!" he then pointed to the sky, "AND YOU! CONTINUE WRITING THE STORY, OR I'LL COME UP THERE AND KILL YOU MYSELF!"

…Yes sir.

Sanzo grabbed Goku by the arm and stormed out to where his former position was, awaiting for his part of the story to turn up again.

The narrator obediently proceeded to rewind the story back to where we see Hakkai and Gojyo again.

…But not before sending a bear to maul Gojyo.

"WHAT?!"

* * *

To say that Hakkai was cold would be an understatement. The wind had picked up speed, driving snow into his left eye. Luckily, he had the monocle that prevented snow from entering his right eye, although that didn't make the situation any better. Still, he trudged on, thoughts of his pet driving him. _Hakuryuu… where did you go? More importantly… _why_ did you go?_

Gojyo followed the figure that he thought was Hakkai. Even at this close range it was hard to tell with the wind and snow this bad. "Hey, Hakkai?" he called out uncertainly.

"Yes, Gojyo?" that false cheerful tone was impossible to mistake.

"…Nothing." Gojyo hated to sound like a little kid like this, but truth be told, he didn't know what to say. He had seen Hakkai depressed many times before, although it took a little bit of skill to determine exactly when the man was depressed, but he never really knew exactly what to say. "I'm sure we'll find him." he added weakly, wanting to break the silence.

"…Why would he run away in the first place…?" Hakkai's voice lost the false cheerfulness, and sounded a lot more hollow.

"…Hell if I know. It's all that stupid monkey's fault." it always seemed easier to just blame Goku, although Gojyo didn't always enjoy it. He loved the monkey like a little brother, and loved to tease him like one.

"…Is it really?" Hakkai's tone began to worry Gojyo a bit, he usually only got like this when he thought of Kanan, and that was never good, "…or is it my fault…?" Hakkai turned to face the hanyou, "Did I do something wrong?"

"Hakkai…" Gojyo took a step back, the vacant look in Hakkai's eyes genuinely concerned him, "Don't say something like that. You and I both know you treated Hakuryuu the best out of all of us." It was true. Out of them all, Hakkai took the most loving care of the tiny dragon. Sure, Gojyo would slip him a scrap from the table once in a while; sure Goku would play with him whenever he came over; sure Sanzo… uh… Sanzo didn't really pay too much mind to the dragon… but he certainly cared at least a little for him; however Hakkai truly loved Hakuryuu. Taking this all into mind, Gojyo looked square into Hakkai's eyes, "To be honest, sometimes I'm jealous of the little guy." Smirking at his mini confession, Gojyo continued, "That's why, when we find 'em, I'm gonna tell him exactly what you went through just to find him. So he won't take that love you give him for granted." Slightly embarrassed, he turned around, breaking the eye contact he had with his partner.

"Gojyo…" Hakkai began as he reached out a hand to place onto the red-head's shoulder. He halted as voices sounded behind him.

"Where did that runt go?" a raspy voice could barely be heard over the wind.

"I dunno… but once I find 'em, I'm gonna skin him alive." a higher, yet still deep, voice answered back.

"Whoever knew a little flyin' lizard like that would be so much trouble, eh?" the gravelly voice laughed.

Hakkai's heart froze in his chest and he began to run towards where he heard the voices. He didn't care who they were, only if they could have possibly seen Hakuryuu. "Excuse me!" he called out desperately, ignoring the cold air that stung his lungs.

"Hakkai! You idiot!" Gojyo rushed after the brunette, "You tryin' ta get us killed?!"

"Who's there?!" It was 'Gravel Voice' that shouted out.

"Maybe we should get outta here, Ito." 'Deep Voice' spoke to 'Gravel Voice', now known as Ito.

Hakkai ran faster, "I just want to talk!" he couldn't lose the lead he had now! He tried to run faster, cursing himself inwardly as he fell face first into a snow drift. _Dammit! Not now!_

"Hakkai!" Gojyo panicked at seeing Hakkai's form suddenly disappearing into the darkness. Unknowingly, he ran right past the green-eyed demon. The snow became thicker, and nothing could be seen.

"Oi! Kyo! Where are you?!" Ito yelled out, brandishing his knife blindly. He didn't see the figure in front of him, also walking around, unable to see his own hand in front of his face. They bumped into each other. Out of instinct, Ito lashed out with his knife, impaling it on something.

That something fell with a muffled curse. Ito watched with widening eyes as crimson stained the snow. Not all of the crimson color was blood, however.

Most of it was hair.

* * *

A/N: And done for this chapter! ; I know… Christmas is over already… and I've missed my deadline… but I want to finish this fic anyway! 

So, please stay tuned for the conclusion! I promise you won't be disappointed!

Ja!

SheepiChan


	3. Confess!

A/N: …I lied! I decided to make this fic four chapters long… I just can't fit it all into three!!! Sorry!!!! :bowbowbow: Either way, I hope you enjoy it!

Once again, this may be quite a bit less humorous in the beginning… a thousand pardons! I promise,I'll try to make it funnier!In the meantime, you'll have to deal with fluff! Bwaha!

Everyone, thank you so much for the wonderful reviews! (And death threats! Eep!) They really made me smile!

Also, any and all constructive criticism is appreciated!

Alright, official stuff, and then we're off!

Rating: PG-13 (for swearing, shounen-ai, violence and improper use of shoujo manga characters)

Setting: Pre-Gensoumaden Saiyuki

Disclaimer: I don't own Saiyuki in anyway, except for DVDs and manga I've bought… and scanlations… ohohoho… those wonderful scanlations…

I don't own Monopoly either… nor do I own Fushigi Yuugi…

* * *

Hakuryuu's First Christmas

Hakuryuu looked around the small clearing. Even though there was a huge snowstorm going on, for some reason this one part of the woods was perfectly devoid of any wind, and instead was covered with a moderate amount of the fine white powder. Laying down in the snow were nine… _things_. They were like nothing Hakuryuu had ever seen before! The creatures looked kind of like deer, only a lot bigger. And one of them had this huge red nose that illuminated the darkness. A gigantic sleigh also lay in the snow, hitched to these magnificent animals by a pair of ropes.

"Kyuu!" Hakuryuu chirped in amazement. The air itself seemed to vibrate with magic. That was the only way to describe the energy around him. The dragon smiled inwardly at the winter wonderland before him.

"You can go ahead and play with the reindeer if you'd like," the man in red smiled at the white dragon, "I've got some business to take care of in a nearby village. I'll be back for you once I'm done." with that, he set Hakuryuu down near the giant deer thingies and threw a sack over his shoulder. "Vixen, why don't you introduce Hakuryuu here to the other reindeer?"

_How does he know my name?_ Hakuryuu craned his neck so he could face the man, "Kyuu?" He didn't expect the bearded man to understand the dragon chatter, but voiced his question anyway. If only Hakkai were around to translate. There was that twinge in his heart again…

"I know plenty about you." the man smiled again. He was always smiling, just like Hakkai.

_…I believe I may have some sort of owner complex…_ the little dragon mused to himself. He made a mental note to visit some sort of psychiatrist after this whole ordeal was over. There was one in the nearby village by the name of Nii Jienyi that was supposed to be very good. Pulling out a mini dragon palm pilot, Hakuryuu wrote in this little note. He had some time on Thursday afternoon, and set the appointment up for then.

"I have to go now, little guy," the man walked to the edge of the clearing and disappeared in a flash of sparkles, leaving a very confused dragon behind with nine reindeer and a sleigh full of toys.

The reindeer, as the man called them, gathered around Hakuryuu. Their presence didn't feel the least bit ominous to the pint-sized dragon. They seemed to smile (especially the one with the big red nose!), inviting Hakuryuu to join them in their reindeer games, like Monopoly.

Hakuryuu was going to have fun!

* * *

Hakkai lifted himself from the snow drift, still cursing his recklessness mentally. Shaking the powder from his body, he looked around. "Gojyo?" he called out, realizing the hanyou was nowhere to be seen, he stumbled in the storm. His vision impaired by the blowing winds, the snow and ice blinding him. "Gojyo! Where are you?!" Hakkai waded through the snow frantically, calling out his friend's name. The thought of losing someone else in this horrible weather bore down on him like a thousand weights. "Gojyo!" the youkai reached out, desperate to feel Gojyo under his palm, hoping desperately to find him in the darkness. He stepped forward, and cursed himself again as he tripped over an object laying in the snow. Lifting himself to his knees, he looked behind him to examine what exactly caused him to trip. 

The snow around the object was stained a deep red color. Hakkai looked at his hand, which also seemed tainted by the substance. He rubbed two fingers together, his heart turning into lead as he watched the snow melt and evaporate, leaving the residue of a slick, red liquid on his digits. Realization rammed into him, knocking the air out of his lungs as the thought of the red-headed hanyou flooded the entirety of his mind.

"GOJYO!" he staggered to the object laying in the snow, which he now identified as his friend. The kappa lay there, face down and still, save for ragged breathing. "Gojyo, speak to me!" Hakkai rolled him over so that they were face to face, before hoisting him into the crook of his arm, allowing the water sprite to rest his head against his shoulder.

"…Hey, 'kai." Gojyo smiled weakly, "Looks like I messed up again… che…" he slowly blinked his sunset eyes, the lids feeling heavy. Sighing, he closed them fully, nestling his face deeper into Hakkai's shoulder.

"Oh no you don't!" Hakkai nearly yelled into Gojyo's ear, "I swear Gojyo, if you even _think _about dying…" he let his voice hang, unable to think of a reasonable threat at a time like this.

Gojyo just remained silent, his serrated breathing the only hint that he was still alive.

_I have to do something! _Hakkai mentally chastised himself, ripping through his mind, trying to find some way to help._ …I don't know what to do…_ He clenched his eyes shut, hopelessness hovering over him, when_… I've got it!_ he remembered a book that he read recently about a technique called _qigong_. If he remembered correctly, if you concentrated the energy flowing through your body, it could be possible to make it solid, which in turn would make it very versatile. This _chi_ could be used to attack, defend…

_…and heal_! Hakkai's leaden heart lightened at the revelation. _But… I've never tried _qigong_ before…_ he glanced again at Gojyo, his decision obvious as he watched the kappa's face taut with pain.

_I have to try!_ He held Gojyo closer to him and extended a palm, allowing it to remain a couple of inches over the wound in his side._ Please… work!_ he willed all of the strength in his thrashed body to travel to Gojyo, hoping to heal the terrible injury. His hand glowed a bright green as an orb of pure energy of the same hue covered the kappa's side, mending torn flesh and slowing the bleeding to a stop. Breathing a sigh of relief, Hakkai felt the horrendous weight lifted from his shoulders, replaced by the comfortable lightness of Gojyo's head, which began to stir.

"Ugh… I feel like shit…" the red headed half demon placed a hand to his forehead, his swearing a sign of revitalization.

"G-Gojyo…" Hakkai's throat dried up, a million words that could be spoken lost, then found in a single movement as he threw himself onto the kappa, hugging him tightly, "Gojyo!"

"…Hakkai…" realizing how much pain he must've caused his demonic friend, Gojyo wrapped his arms around his back.

"Gojyo," Hakkai whispered into the hanyou's ear, "don't ever, _ever_ worry me like that again."

"Sorry 'bout that," Gojyo smirked as he sat up, resting his head against Hakkai's as he burrowed it into his chest. He placed a hand on the back of the brunette's skull, gently rubbing his fingers back and forth through his hair.

"Gojyo…"

"Hakkai…"

"_Gojyo_…"

"_Hakkai_…"

"Miaka!" a male voice yelled in the woods, disrupting the mood.

"Tamahome!" a high pitched female voice responded, her grating voice startling birds.

"WHAT?!" Gojyo and Hakkai chorused, whipping their heads around, looking for the owners of the voices who destroyed their moment.

"Oh, Miaka!" a young man, his hair a dark blue, ran to a young woman whose brown hair was tied up into two buns.

"Oh, Tamahome!" the young woman, assumingly Miaka, screeched at the top of her lungs. Windows everywhere shattered and dogs howled. Elsewhere in the woods, Ito, Hakuryuu and the reindeer covered their sensitive ears, which were very close to bursting.

"What the hell are you two doing here?!" Gojyo bellowed, outraged at having his moment with Hakkai ruined by these idiots.

"…I believe you are in the wrong anime…" Hakkai was frustrated as well, but he hid it better, "We would appreciate it if you left…"

"But… how are we supposed to leave?" Miaka shrieked again. Whales off the coast of Shangri-la complained to each other, wondering what in the seven hells was making that horrible sound.

"Miaka, darling! My little sugar booger!" Tamahome held Miaka's hands, "You must conserve that beautiful voice!"

"Yes dear!" Miaka 'whispered', although her voice still did a number on Gojyo's ears.

"THAT'S IT!!!" Gojyo and Hakkai really couldn't take this anymore as they ran up to the couple and proceeded to dropkick them back into Fushigi Yuugi…land.

"WAAAAI!" the annoying duo both screamed as they were launched into the air, and vanished.

"…That… was horrible…" Hakkai whimpered, "… I think I may have seen my life flash before my eyes…"

"Same here… Now, where were we?" Gojyo looked over at Hakkai, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Hakkai smiled an authentic smile, "We were looking for Hakuryuu." There was a hint in his voice, as if he knew what Gojyo was thinking. (And who doesn't know…?)

"Oh… right." Gojyo wiped the disappointment from his face. He would corner Hakkai later, right now they had a job to do.

Laughing, Hakkai gave his friend's shoulder a light squeeze, before changing his tone to one of seriousness, "Are you sure you're okay enough to walk?"

Gojyo grinned and gave the brunette a thumbs up, "I'm just fine. It's gonna take a lot more than _that _to do _me_ in."

Hakkai returned the grin and began to march forward, Gojyo not far behind him.

With their hope renewed, they continued on, shouting Hakuryuu's name.

They didn't notice a pair of red eyes watching them from the shadows.

* * *

Dammit.

Sanzo trudged along, Goku still in his arms. The saru hadn't made any major movements, mainly just soft sounds, accompanied by the occasional nestling of his head against the Sanzo's shoulder, or the tightening of his grasp on the monk's robe. However, there were no movements that implied his waking up anytime soon. Still, Sanzo held him close to his body, hoping not only for a quick revival from the monkey, but for any sign of the miniature dragon they were searching for.

"ITO!" a rumbling voice rang throughout the woodland, causing the hairs on the back of Sanzo's neck to stand on end.

_What the hell was that?_ his entire body tensed up, ready for an attack. _Shit… I still have Goku…_ Sanzo couldn't just leave the earth spirit sitting in the snow.

The bushes beside him rustled violently. _Seems like I have no choice._ Sanzo quickly lowered Goku to the ground, pulling out his gun from Who-Knows-Where in an instant, ready to fire at whoever, or whatever came out of that bush.

A human man, dark hair and gray eyes, stumbled out. A tad surprised, Sanzo fired a warning shot from the Smith and Wesson, just grazing the man's ear.

"Holy shit!" the man exclaimed, the vulgar language emphasized by the pitch of his voice, which went from a deep tenor to an almost girlish squeal.

"Who the hell are you?" Sanzo wasted no time on introductions, and cut straight to the chase.

"I should say the same!" the man's slate eyes narrowed, his knife drawn.

"I'm going to be the one to send you to your grave if you don't explain to me who you are in ten seconds." Sanzo responded, not missing a beat.

"_You _send _me _to my grave?" the man guffawed, "I'd like ta see ya try!"

"I won't have to _try_." Sanzo retorted, allowing himself the slightest ghost of a smirk. How could this guy be so cocky while face to face with something as powerful as a banishing gun?

Lost in his thoughts, Sanzo almost missed the next move that the overconfident man made. The dark-haired human leaped forward, lashing out with his knife. Sanzo dodged easily to the side, realizing a split second later that he wasn't the true target.

Goku!

Indeed, after passing the monk, the man had thrown himself to Goku's side, holding the dagger to the sleeping boy's throat, his gray eyes gleaming at Sanzo's reaction.

"You bastard." Sanzo growled through grit teeth.

"Hehehe, I've been called worse," the man pressed the blade closer to Goku's throat, "now, why don't you drop that toy of yers?"

"Over my dead body." Sanzo's stubbornness shone through.

"That can be arranged," the man almost purred the overly cliché line, "but not after I have my fun with him." In emphasis, the man gently ran the blade horizontally against the saru's throat, not hard enough to draw blood, but just enough to make his point.

"Just try it." Sanzo's eyes narrowed dangerously as he took aim, he had no intention on firing (not yet at least), and instead was hoping the man had some phantom of intelligence and would let Goku go.

"I won't have to _try_." the man mocked. Apparently, Sanzo gave him a little more credit than he deserved.

During this incident, Goku stirred, the absence of his sun disturbing his slumber. Yawning, he stretched out his arms, or tried to. His elbow rammed into something soft, and was accompanied by a yelp of surprise and pain. Still half asleep, the monkey didn't notice any of this, and instead stood up, the knife that was once at his throat at its keeper's side as he held his groin. "'Morning, Sanzo." the monkey tottered over to the priest, his eyes half lidded. "What's for breakfast?"

Sanzo just stood there. Of all things to happen, this sure as hell was lucky, and luck usually never lasted. Making sure Goku was safe behind him (although still half asleep), Sanzo cocked his gun at the top of the man's head. The target was hard to see because of the snow, but definitely not hard to _hear_. The stupid human was nearly in tears because of the accidental blow Goku dealt him.

"I'll give you to the count of three to tell me who you are and what the hell you're doing here." Sanzo's patience was waning and he just itched to fire his weapon. Yup, this is one trigger happy priest we're dealing with here.

"…MynameisKyoandIamahumanmalethathangsoutwithabunchofdemonbanditsmybloodtypeisABpositiveandmyfavoritecolorisblue!!!" Kyo shouted out in one breath, scared to no end by the monk and his gun.

Sanzo's eyebrow twitched as he fired another shot, this time near the man's feet, "Speak slower, or I _will _kill you." he growled through clenched teeth, taking aim right between Kyo's eyes. Behind him, Goku yawned and rested his head against the monk's back, "And don't you fall asleep you damn monkey!" The soft weight on his back immediately disappeared at this threat. Nobody, but nobody, messes with Sanzo when he's pissed… and lives.

Kyo spoke much slower, "My-name-is-Kyo-and-I-am-a-human-male-that-hangs-out-with-a-bunch-of-demon-bandits-"

"Bandits?" Sanzo suddenly remembered the reason why he and Goku had set out in the first place, "How many of you are there?!" he demanded.

"S-Six or seven! I swear, there aren't any more!" Kyo began to shiver- and it wasn't from the cold.

Sanzo snorted, both out of annoyance and contempt, his head bowed slightly in thought, "So… you're not the ones…" his head snapped up as realization hit him once again, "What were you doing out here in the middle of a storm?" he cocked his gun again.

"I should ask the same of you. Both you and that stu-" Kyo began, arrogance tainting the sound of his voice.

BANG!

"EEP! Iwaschasingthislittleflyin'li-"

_BANG!_ "Talk _slower,_ dammit!" Sanzo roared, his eyebrow twitching a hundred and fifty miles a minute

"I-was-chasing-this-little-flying-lizard-"

"What did this little flying lizard look like?" this morsel of information was too important for Sanzo to pass up.

"_Exactly as I said_-" Kyo sounded annoyed, and pushed attitude into his remark.

_BANG!_ "I don't need any of your smart-ass comments!" Sanzo's patience was at its limit.

"He was approximately 3 feet-"

_BANG!_ "Not THAT specific!" although his patience was wearing thin, Sanzo couldn't help but have fun finding reasons to shoot at the man. Maybe he just needed to get rid of his frustration…

"He was a silver white color and he had red eyes and was really tiny! Don't hurt me!!!" Kyo cringed, covering his face with his arms.

Sanzo lifted his arm to shoot again, just for kicks, when there was a tug at his sleeve.

"…Sanzo… let's go… I think we should find Hakuryuu now…" Goku spoke softly, his voice a bit hoarse after just waking up. It was unusual for him to speak like this, even after just awakening.

"…What's wrong?" Sanzo inquired, lowering his arm, much to Kyo's relief.

"…I dunno… I… I just have this bad feelin'…" Goku kept his head lowered in genuine concern and stayed silent. Not even his stomach rumbled… holy crap.

Sanzo placed a hand into the brunette's tousled hair, "Fine. We'll leave now." leaving his palm in Goku's locks, he aimed the gun once more, "Where did the dragon go?"

"Last I saw, that thing was headed that way." Kyo pointed north of their location.

"Alright." Sanzo gave Kyo a final death glare, "Do yourself a favor and go home to your mother." Sticking a much needed cigarette into his mouth, he began to leave. Goku walked beside him, renewed with energy, although that feeling still nagged at him.

Kyo sighed in relief. Counting his blessings, he placed a hand to his forehead, succumbing to the stress the most recent ordeal brought him.

BANG!

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" Kyo cried out, nearly in tears.

"Just felt like shooting." With that, both priest and saru disappeared in the woods.

The winds were still merciless, and the snow was still harsh...

...but at least now they had a lead.

* * *

(A/N): …Ahehehe… wow… that was one craptacular chapter! Anyhoos, next is definitely the last! (Promises, promises! XD; I missed my deadline anyway!) 

I'm sorry if you don't understand the Fushigi Yuugi reference in here! Gomen! ::bows::

I hope you guys are enjoying reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it!

Happy New Year everyone! (XD; I'm even late in saying _that_!)

Until next time! (Kwaah... a couple of weeks perhaps…)

Ja!

SheepiChan


	4. Realization Hits

(A/N): XD; What is it… April now? (This is officially a post Easter fic! WOO!)

Kwaaah! I'm so sorry for taking so long to update:bowbow: …Truth be told, I just got so wrapped up with school work, personal matters, and whatnot, that I couldn't find the time to finish this! XD Then again, you guys don't wanna hear my pitiful excuses, ne?

Thank you to all reviewers! You have no idea how happy reviews make me!

Ahehehehehe… Uhm… y'know how I said last chapter that this was the finale?

…I lied… again. :dodges tomatoes:

I'm sorry… it's just that I'm constantly getting ideas for this…

…At this rate, this'll most likely be done by Christmas of this year… :bow: I'm terribly sorry!

Now for the officials! So I don't get sued! Tee hee!

Rating: T (for swearing, mild shounen-ai, and violence)  
Setting: Pre-Gensoumaden Saiyuki

Disclaimer: I don't own Saiyuki and- according to the law of probability- most likely never will. Phwee… Leave me and my fantasies aloooone!

* * *

Hakuryuu's First Christmas

Hakuryuu zipped around the clearing, chirping wildly at the exhilarating feeling that came with flight. Shifting his eyes, he spotted Vixen and Comet galloping through the air after him. The tiny dragon dipped, losing himself in the wind that hugged his body. The two reindeer followed suit, each taking a position on either side of the flight capable lizard. At fist, Hakuryuu wondered exactly how these animals could achieve flight, but quickly lost interest as the prospects of a race welled up in his mind. The reindeer seemed to share the same thought pattern as him, and gladly accepted his eager challenge to a friendly race.

Just ahead of him, Rudolph's red nose blinked, signaling the finish line. Instead of wasting energy flapping, Hakuryuu folded his wings closer to his body, making it as streamlined as possible, and used the momentum from his previous dive to carry him through the air and right past the crimson beacon.

_Crimson? _Hakuryuu's thoughts diverted to Gojyo. The man with an everlasting smirk. The man kind enough to allow Hakkai into his household after saving his life. Distracted, Hakuryuu forgot the part of flying in which one lands, preferably safely, on the ground. He barely had enough time to prevent himself from colliding headfirst into the sleigh. Turning too late, he rammed sideways into the sleigh's side, a sickening CRACK resonating through the air. He screeched in pain as he slumped to the ground, his wing bent at an odd angle.

Cupid, who was closest to Hakuryuu, trotted over to him, and nudged him gently with his snout. Hakuryuu let out a pained whimper, to which Cupid replied with another gentle nuzzle. The other reindeer soon huddled around the tiny dragon, trying to find ways to help him out of the snow, without inflicting anymore pain on him. However, they were all lacking in one such quality that would be very useful in a time like this.

Hands, plus opposable thumbs.

Because of their lack of hands and thumbs, the reindeer had to make due with their mouths and teeth. With a silent apology, Cupid lifted Hakuryuu off of the ground. Even though pain shot straight through his wing, and throughout his entire body, the dragon tried his very best not to wail. Donner, another one of the reindeer, placed a tiny pillow inside of the sleigh, on which Hakuryuu was placed on. The red-eyed lizard chirped his thanks, even though his near shattered wing still throbbed rather painfully.

_And I thought this was supposed to be a humor fic…_ Hakuryuu thought grimly. _…Next time I do a gig for this author, I'm bringing a lawyer._

As Hakuryuu lay his aching head down, he slowly began to drift off to sleep, dreams of sugarplums-_Wait a sec._

His tiny head popped up, a sudden thought striking him, the pain momentarily forgotten_, What exactly IS a sugarplum? Is it a plum covered with sugar…? Is it candy…? Oh man… I could really go for some candy right now…_

As if right on cue, Blitzen, another one of the reindeer, came by sporting a bag full of lollipops, marshmallows and candy canes. There wasn't any chocolate, as that was bad for Hakuryuu's delicate stomach, and would give him a terrible case of tummy troubles.

_How did he-_ Hakuryuu's train of thought began…

I read your mind, silly! By the way, a sugar plum _is _a type of candy and we do have them here… but it has chocolate in it… sorry!-

…before veering off course to crash into the brick wall known as "HOLY CRAP!".

* * *

"Sanzo… I'm hun-" 

THWACK!

"WAAAH! Sanzo! What was that for!" Goku sobbed as he clutched his now smarting head.

"For being such a loudmouth." Sanzo replied, putting his fan away who knows where.

"Sanzo… I've been meanin' to ask ya something…" Goku looked up at his keeper, curiosity written all over his youthful face.

"Go ahead…" Sanzo sighed. He had a pretty good idea as to what the brunette was about to ask and picked at his ear with his pinky in exasperation; an old habit he never seemed to be able to get rid of… probably because he was almost always exasperated. Ah well… at least it's not his nose.

"Where do you keep that fan! And your crown! And your glasses… and your gun… and-", Goku belted out in rapid succession, before Sanzo's hand flew up to silence him.

"If I tell you, do you promise to keep quiet?"

Goku nodded eagerly, and whimpered in delight as Sanzo bent to whisper his secret into his ear. The monkey king's golden eyes widened with enlightenment, "Woah… so every fan-girl theory is wrong!"

Sanzo smirked haughtily, "Yeah… as if those bimbos could ever figure it out."

"I dunno… some of them sounded pretty good…" Goku's head tilted to the side in thought, listing all of the theories he had heard over the years.

"…Whatever. Let's just find the stupid dragon." Sanzo trudged along once again, not waiting for Goku to finish his mental list.

"Wait! Sanzo!" Goku snapped out of his brain work and stumbled after the more-or-less Buddhist. "Don't leave me like that!" he breathed once he caught up with Sanzo. He clutched to his arm and squeezed it tight, his bright eyes gazing up at Sanzo with the loving emotion (that's the only way to describe what they felt for each other) they shared.

Sanzo started at the sign of sentiment, and peered into Goku's eyes for a few moments, before finally landing back in reality, "Get off!" he shook Goku off his arm and regained his composure. Any longer and the man may have actually started blushing! Gah, you'll get him next time, Goku! Don't give up! We're rooting for you!

Goku pouted, then sniffed the air. "Oi, Sanzo. I think I smell something…" the youth's nose twitched feverishly, "It smells like… like… like… like… like… li-"

THWACK!

"OW!"

Sanzo, ever the impatient one, walloped Goku over the head with his fan again. "You sound like a goddamn broken record!" he roared. "Just tell me what you smell, so we can get on with this already!"

Goku sniffed again, "Like… SUGARPLUMS!" If the monkey had a tail, it would wag. Probably so much that he'd take off… kind of like a helicopter. Hey! That's not a bad idea! A Goku-copter! Then they could just ride west on that instead of having Hakuryuu turn into the jeep. It would probably be much faster too!

"…What the hell is a sugarplum?" Sanzo asked the _saru_, his jaw nearly (key word: nearly) dropping in awe at the answer he received.

"Well, the sugarplum is a small candy made from a mélange, or concoction, of dried fruit and other flavorful, although totally optional, toppings such as powdered sugar, pistachios, chocolate or coconut. The original version is said to have come from Portugal, where fresh black figs and cooked green plums are used to create a similar treat. If refrigerated, the sugarplum can last up to a month, and they're very sturdy so you can mail 'em just about anywhere. The most common example of a sugarplum can be seen in "The Nutcracker" in the form of a sugarplum fairy, which were most likely named as such because of their love for sweets." Goku stated in a matter-of-factly tone, grinning the whole time.

"Goku?"

"Yes, Sanzo?"

"What's two plus two?"

"I dunno… why?"

"Nothing." Sanzo kept himself from sighing in relief. Nope, the monkey was not hiding any intelligence from him. He was just well informed in his number one favorite thing in the entire world: food.

Goku grasped Sanzo's wrist, his eyes twinkling, "Can we go get some? Huh, Sanzo?" he nearly begged as his grin ran from one ear to the other.

"No. This is obviously a GET BACK HERE!" Sanzo was about to tell Goku off for falling for something that could be a very obvious, very _dangerous _trap, but wound up chasing after the monkey instead as he took off without waiting for an answer. Catching up to Goku would prove to be hard work. His speed was remarkable to begin with, and when food was involved, it fell nothing short of extraordinary, only outmatched when Seiten Taisei decided to come out and play… and, thankfully, Sanzo had taken the liberty of duct taping the diadem to Goku's head right before heading out to look for Hakuryuu, so Mr. Taisei wouldn't appear and destroy the whole forest.

_Not that that doesn't seem to be such a bad idea right now… _Sanzo mused as he ran after the renegade _saru._ While he ran, the snowfall lessened, allowing him to see clearer. The air itself seemed to warm up as well. _…That's odd… stupid monkey… this has to be a trap!_

"I'm gonna eatcha! I'm gonna eatcha!" Goku sang as he followed his nose to the tiny delicacies. _He _saw the ending of the snow as a blessing, and welcomed the air's new warmth. In the joy that came with a potential food overdose, thoughts of sugarplums danced around in his head. Screw the fairies that usually came along with them! You can't eat those! …Or could you?

Sanzo swore he heard a screech when Goku came to a halt at the edge of a clearing. He caught up to him, and placed his hands onto his knees, his breath coming to him in short gasps. He really needed to stop smoking. "What… the hell… were you… _thinking_?" Sanzo would normally reach for his fan right now, but he didn't have the energy to do so and instead settled for the always fun and relaxing verbal abuse.

Goku was too busy being awestruck to comprehend the monk's rebuking, "Sanzo… what're _those_?" he pointed to the center of the area, turning his head only to acknowledge Sanzo's presence.

Said monk straightened and gazed towards where Goku was gesturing, expecting something grandiose. His body tensed up, his mind raced through all the possibilities, his breathing quickened…

"…What the hell? There's nothing there, Goku!" Sanzo reached for his fan. Damn the _saru _for making him excited for nothing!

"What!" Goku turned back to the clearing, "B-but! But, but-OW!" he clutched at his head, glaring maliciously at the retreating fan. _You'll get yours fan… you just wait…_ he silently vowed.

_Bwahaha… nothing you can about me you stupid monkey!_ the fan gloated as it returned to the depths of Sanzo's robe.

_Don't call me stupid, you… FAN! _Goku defended himself, although rather poorly. Well, we can't really blame him for it. That fan caught him off guard, it did!

_Hah! I can't help it if Sanzo loves me more!_ The fan, now comfortably resting within Sanzo's robes, retorted back in the monkey's mind.

_He does not! _Goku's eyes narrowed as he tried to stare through Sanzo's robes to where the fan lay dormant.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" Sanzo caught Goku focusing intensely on where the fan lay dormant, mistaking it for something quite different, "You disgusting, little pervert!"

"S-Sanzo! It-It's not what you thin-KWAAH!" Goku grabbed at his head, yet again. However, he was thankful that at least this time Sanzo used his fist instead of that blasted paper monstrosity. He sniffed again, the smell of sugarplums still strong, mixed in with something else. "Hmm?"

Goku's trusty nose started twitching again, "I smell something, Sanzo!"

"Not those damn sugarplums again…"

"No! Something else… something like… dragon!" Goku scampered back to the middle of the clearing. "I'm positive about it!"

"…I wasn't aware that dragons had a _smell_…" Sanzo remarked dryly, following Goku. His lack of enthusiasm was apparent in the way he trudged through the snow. Even though his posture was straight and elegant, one could tell that all he wanted was to lie down in the stupid frozen stuff blanketing the earth and just fall asleep. Who cares about the cold, anyway? Not like you can die from it or anything like that.

"Of course they do! _Everything _has a smell!" Goku sniffed the air again, "Wait a sec! There's not only dragon… but something else…" he dropped to his hands and knees and sniffed around on the ground. Like a dog.

"There's nothing here, Goku." Sanzo rolled his eyes again, trying to cover up his intention of tying a leash and collar on Goku right then and there. Go hidden meanings! Woo!

The monkey king popped up from the ground, his eyes set at the far edge of the area, "THERE!" he charged towards it, tiny hearts popped out of his eyes, and snow flew everywhere, kicked up by his feet.

Sanzo stood in the center, smirking as he watched Goku's antics. _…Stupid chimp…_ his smirk turned into a gentle smile as he ruminated on the way Goku was able to be pleased by the simplest things. Sure, the _saru_ was growing up, and quickly, but he still had a naiveté about him that made him just so damn lovable. Not that Sanzo loved him in any way of course. No sir. There's no room for love in that miniature stone heart replica of his. Or so he says.

His smile wouldn't last too long, when it turned into another near jaw drop as Goku was suddenly slammed backwards into the snow, as if he rammed into a solid wall of absolute nothing. A giant sleigh materialized out of thin air in a flurry of sparkles, surrounded by 9 deer-like _things_, one of which had a giant red nose. A familiar, silvery reptilian face peered out of the sleigh, a long tail behind it wagging back and forth with pure joy.

"Kyuu!"

* * *

Hakkai coughed. 

Gojyo smoked.

Hakkai coughed again, throwing a glance over to the _kappa_.

Gojyo didn't take the hint and continued to smoke.

Hakkai finally resorted to "accidentally" stepping on the _kappa's _foot, which caused Gojyo's nervous system to perform a completely natural, but still fairly miraculous chain of events. First, the flesh and bone in his foot would absorb the force of the blow, then the nerve endings in said foot would send the message of pain in the form of electrical signals at a top speed of a hundred miles per hour throughout the map of nerves in his body, finally winding up at his brain. This brain would receive the message, register it as acute pain, and then relay the message to two different body parts. For one, his foot, which would jerk back, and finally, his mouth which would open really wide and…

"Gods, Hakkai! What the hell was _that _for!" Gojyo's cigarette dropped into the snow, snuffed out immediately. A soft _hiss_ reached both _kappa _and demon's keen ears, and the stink of tobacco smoke increased briefly, before dissipating entirely.

"You know how I feel about your smoking, Gojyo." Hakkai smiled sweetly. A warning that if Gojyo dared to light another cancer stick, he would receive a nice pop in the head and, depending on how PMS-y Hakkai felt, another to the groin.

The red-head smirked, "You should be kind to smokers, Hakkai." he paused dramatically, "We don't really have a lot of time left."

Hakkai gave a warm pat to Gojyo's shoulder, and smiled genuinely, "Now now, let's not think cynically, hmm?"

Gojyo just continued to smirk, kicking at the snow with his foot, "This shit ain't disappearin' anytime soon…"

"Which is why we need to find Hakuryuu as fast as we can." Hakkai's marching tempo stepped up, puffs of snow flying from his legs.

Gojyo's nigh permanent smirk only increased in size and love as he watched the brunette demon's face set in determination. Even though he didn't seem the type, with his gentle demeanor and all, once Hakkai had his mind set on a goal, he'd do everything in his power (and he has _a lot _of power) to achieve it.

"Hey… the snow's stopped falling." Hakkai's smile broadened and he turned to face Gojyo. At that moment, a gust of wind blew his over cloak to the side. The soft brown material swayed in the wind, and fine, white powder lifted from the earth, flurrying around his figure like an aura mirroring the gentleness of the _youkai_'s personality. His monocle glimmered in the soft moonlight, accompanied by the gentle sparkle of his emerald tinted eyes.

If Gojyo still had the cigarette in between his lips, it would have dropped to the ground in complete awe.

Hakkai stood completely still, the wind still blowing. His theme music started to play in the background, the soft piano chords only adding to the atmosphere.

Until the pianist hit a sharp instead of a flat, ruining the song and totally killing Gojyo's pleasant, near heavenly mood.

"Damn you!" Gojyo roared as he launched _shakujyo's_ blade, shattering both piano and pianist into a million, trillion, bazillion pieces. Huzzah for senseless, uncensored violence!

Hakkai snapped out of his pretty-boy trance, and looked around sheepishly, "My… that certainly was… random." he chuckled. "Wonder what that was about…"

"I believe it's called a plot device, my dear Hakkai." Gojyo lit another cigarette, wary of the distance between Hakkai's foot and his own.

"Well… it certainly wasn't a very good one, now was it?" the green-eyed _youkai _mused.

"Nope. It most certainly was not." Gojyo took another long, almost exaggerated, drag of the cigarette, and exhaled, the smoke of burning tobacco (along with some fairly hazardous chemicals) curling around his head, "You'd think by now she'd given up…"

Suddenly, the wind died, and all was eerily silent. This newfound tranquility of the forest provided better conditions for the demon and water sprite's highly attuned senses to pinpoint the location of their lost lizard, while the authoress tried in vain to distract both reader and character from her weak, insomnia induced plot devices.

In the silence, a far off, "Kyuu!" echoed off the distant trees. A normal human wouldn't be able to hear the obscure chirp, even in the dead silence of the still woods. However, our heroes aren't exactly normal (neither physically nor mentally). Or human for that matter.

The two antenna like hair strands poking from the top of Gojyo's head perked up, then twitched, seeming to communicate with each other. Hakkai caught the slight movements out of the corner of his eye, and stared transfixed until the two strands of "hair" finished their "conversation". When Gojyo finally spoke, probably after receiving the message from his antenna, Hakkai couldn't even register the speech.

"Hey, 'kai… Didja just hear that?" Gojyo tried to make eye contact with the _youkai_, but twas in vain as Hakkai stared transfixed at the top of his head. "Hakkai?"

"…Antennae…"

"Hakkai!"

"Oh!" Hakkai started, then suddenly became very interested in some lint on his cloak. After a few moments of lint purging, he made eye contact with the _hanyou,_ "Terribly sorry, Gojyo. What did you say?"

Gojyo glanced nervously at Hakkai. It was perfectly natural for him to space out once in a while (Especially when it rained), but during a mission as important to him as this, Gojyo couldn't help but feel just a smidgeon of worry, "I asked you if you heard that."

"Heard what?" Hakkai's head tilted inquisitively.

"Kyuu!"

"That."

"What?"

"Kyuu!"

"That!"

"Oh. Well… of course I did." Hakkai gave Gojyo a look of innocence, "Who wouldn't notice the sound of a-" Time stopped as realization slapped Hakkai yet again, leaving a very nasty bruise, and an apparent concussion as Hakkai felt himself tumble into a world of inky darkness and muffled silence.

"Hakkai!"

* * *

Hakkai's heavy lids opened slowly. His vision swam, and his head throbbed. Hesitantly, he brought himself to a sitting position, grimacing the whole time. 

"About time you got up!" exclaimed Realization, its face adorned with scorn.

"I-I'm sorry…" Hakkai bowed his head, but not before rubbing his left temple first, "Did you really have to hit me, though?"

At this, Realization scoffed, "Oh please. You just wait until later on in this abomination of a fan fiction. I'm really gonna mess you up, yo!"

"I beg your pardon?"

Realization resisted the urge to hit the poor man again, and instead cut straight to the point, "Alright. Here's how everything's going down right now." it tossed a pad and pencil to the _youkai_ before continuing, "Right now, you're in what's known as 'filler'. This usually happens when an author(ess) can't figure out what to do next, and instead tries to buy time." Realization paused and glanced at Hakkai quickly.

Hakkai, always the model student, wrote vehemently, clinging to Realization's every word.

Realization picked up where it last left off, "Alright, so right now as I speak, your _kappa_ buddy is carryin' ya to safety. In an overdone plot convenience, this just happens to be the clearing that the rest of your homies are chillaxin' at."

Without making a sound, Hakkai raised his hand.

"What's up?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt… but my what are doing what?" Hakkai blinked again, unused to Realization's lingo.

Realization rolled its eyes, "Where the rest of your group is hanging out." It translated.

"Ah. Okay." Hakkai smiled and returned to note taking.

Realization checked its wristwatch, "Aw crap. Listen, I've gotta make this quick. I have about twenty artists and authors to get through…" Realization sighed dreamily. It oh so loved to pop up in front of authors, writers, actors and singers, making its target aware of their lack of talent and hope for the future. This usually lead to the disbanding of singing groups, and/or suicides of many a bohemian. "Anyway, at this clearing, you're gonna find a few other surprises… let's see what else… Oh! The _kappa loves _you, you flippin' numbass. Make sure you work on that."

After crossing the final "t", Hakkai looked up at Realization, "Anything else?"

Realization pondered the question for a second, "Ah! Yes! You have to wake up now!" And with that, Realization snapped its fingers, flinging Hakkai back to reality.

* * *

"Hakkai! Shit man… are you okay?" Gojyo's concern was a lance of clarity that pierced through Hakkai's ringing ears, and straightened his jumbled thoughts. In these thoughts, echoed the remnants of Realization's words. 

"…The kappa loves _you, you flippin' numbass. Make sure you work on that."_

Hakkai murmured, "Gojyo… I know this may be sudden… but… here goes!" without opening his eyes, Hakkai lifted himself from the ground, his neck outstretched and his lips pursed. He found his target, and with his eyes still closed, gave it the wettest kiss he'd ever given anyone in either of his lives. Once he was finally fulfilled, he plopped back to the ground, a content smile making its way across his face…

"Eeew! _Sanzo_! He… he… _kissed_ me!" a voice that sounded very much like Goku's echoed throughout Hakkai's ears.

Oh. Dear. God.

"S-Sanzo? What do I do…?"

"Just back away." Sanzo advised, "And try not to make any sudden movements. It seems that he's highly unstable right now…"

_Now, that was really uncalled for…_ Hakkai thought with contempt.

"Uhm… Hakkai?" Gojyo's voice rolled in like waves on the shoreline, "Are you okay?"

The demon in question moaned, gingerly bringing a hand to his throbbing temple. "…What happened?" he managed to whisper.

"You got walloped pretty good." Gojyo replied.

"…With what?" Hakkai blinked multiple times, trying to rid the sudden appearance of Gojyo triplets.

"A rock." the Gojyo on the right responded.

"Oh… that's nice." Hakkai sighed, "Any luck with finding Hakuryuu?"

"Kyuu!" the cheerful chirrup uplifted Hakkai's spirits, and he grinned.

Sanzo, not wanting to burst Hakkai's bubble, but did so anyway, snorted, "You should be much more concerned about who threw that rock." His cool amethyst eyes stared into Hakkai's. However, his usual steely glare was gone, replaced with the tiniest smidgeon of concern.

"…And why's that, Sanzo?" Hakkai questioned, his head cleared up enough for intelligent thought.

"…Because we have a lot of candidates." Sanzo's gaze shifted to the perimeter of trees, and he shifted uneasily. Covertly yes, but there still lingered that hint of uneasiness. Anything that made the great Genjo Sanzo uneasy, was enough to put Hakkai on edge.

Said _youkai_ sat up slowly, adrenaline pumping through his veins. Sharp demon senses picked up the presence of quite the quantity of unfriendly auras.

His confession to Gojyo would have to wait, again.

Right now, they had bigger problems.

* * *

(A/N) …4270 words in this chapter alone. 4270 words! That's nine pages! NINE! 

…What have I done…?

Conclusion. Next chapter. No ifs, ands, or buts about it! I SWEAR!

Ja!

Sheepi


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